Halo Wars 2 "campaign cutscene" trailer revealed

Humanity meets the Banished, and it does not go well.

The Halo Wars 2 “campaign cutscene” video that made its debut over the weekend at RTX doesn't show off any new gameplay, but it does a nice job of setting the table for an all-new RTS throwdown between humanity and a gang of angry aliens.

The human side of the conflict is represented by the crew of the Spirit of Fire, which has been awakened after nearly 30 years of cryosleep. Alas, they are welcomed back not by their UNSC brethren, but by the Banished, a sort of post-Covenant splinter group that isn't too happy with the way the universe is shaping up. And as usual, nobody seems all that terribly interested in talking it out.

Halo Wars 2 is set for release on February 21, 2017, and there will be a pre-release beta, although not for awhile yet. For now, you can see the Windows 10 version of the game in action courtesy of Dan Ayoub's presentation at the PC Gaming Show at E3.

Andy covers the day-to-day happenings in the big, wide world of PC gaming—the stuff we call "news." In his off hours, he wishes he had time to play the 80-hour RPGs and immersive sims he used to love so much.